Its not even the fact that they did it so early in the off season, its more the fact that they just didnt look at this and say "No this isnt right" When they asked the guy about the Brooklyn Nets pick his response was basically that Kevin Garnett will have such an effect on the roster that they will win games off of his will.

Its obviously subject to change, but the fact that they already called the Nets as having the best shot at the title when that Miami roster still exists along with the Spurs is crazy. They wont even make it out of the East

The hits just keep coming. When the Brooklyn Nets made the stunning trade to acquire future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the fan base rejoiced. But now, an ESPN article from Bradford Doolittle uses a statistical model to project the records -- and title chances -- of every team in the NBA, and they're a doozy.

Doolittle looks at the Miami Heat, the NBA's back-to-back champions. They have LeBron James, in case you've forgotten. He's pretty good. Doolittle predicts Miami to secure a fantastic 63-19 record as the Eastern Conference has become even weaker this year. Chances are good, unless Wade falls off the Earth, that the Heat will be the team to beat in the East. Here's what else he noted:

Whenever a quality defensive big man springs loose next season, Miami will be first in line to sign him for the veteran's minimum. In the meantime, you can see that the Heat's projection holds up just fine going forward.

Greg Oden anyone? Doolittle gives Miami a 100% chance of making the playoffs once more and staggering 31% for winning their third straight ring. They have LeBron James, did you know that? Either way, the most surprising part is that Miami, in Doolittle's opinion will not own the NBA's best record, nor do they have the best chance of winning the NBA title.

Wait for it...

Yeah. He went there.

Doolittle projects that the Brooklyn Nets will own a 64-18 record, one better than Miami, and a 36% chance of winning the NBA title.

If you haven't picked your jaws up off the floor, here's what Doolittle says:

I was taken aback at just how well the new roster projected, but I would be shocked if that record actually came to pass because of the age, ball-sharing and injury-risk issues I stated. Still, wouldn't you rather start out with that baseline than not?

Certainly, given Garnett and Pierce's age and likely limited playing time, a 64-win season seems rather unlikely. But hey, if you trade for two Hall of Famers, why not set the bar as high as possible? Those are some wild numbers for a team that is a few years removed from starting Anthony Morrow and Johan Petro.

Before you go nuts, Doolittle notes: "You should be aware that I've left all unrestricted free agents off any roster until they've reached an agreement with their current or new team. Teams that already have their 2013-14 rotation more or less set are going to have a big advantage over teams with a lot of flux.

The projections will change on a daily basis, sometimes significantly. What you read here is an early snapshot of where teams stand at this moment of the offseason and the path each team is taking."

With that said: the Miami Heat are already pretty set, and the Nets still have a better projected record. So, we're taking the opportunity to STILL GO NUTS.

The Nets lost out on Kyle Korver today, as he decided to stay with Atlanta. Rumors say that the Nets could be looking at Matt Barnes now. There's also a chance that the taxpayer midlevel exception will go to Eurostash Bojan Bogdanovic. We'll keep you updated as this crazy summer continues for the Brooklyn Nets.

Didnt want to clutter up the OP. I couldnt find the actual insider article either my detective skills are lacking.

And they had the nerve to predict to Lakers as an overall top 10 team, as if they didn't get washed out like some dirty panties last year or is this article assuming the roster will be Kyrie, Lebron, Westbrook, and Wiggins will be in LA?

i can see brooklyn getting a win total somewhere in the mid 50's... but 64 is od

we finished 4th in the conference last year with 49 wins while dealing with coaching issues & injuries to our best player... an improved roster this year i think we can pick up wins in the mid 50's & finish in 2nd